2009 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) The objective of the cooperative research project is to facilitate the development of an Atlantic salmon breeding program by the USDA, ARS National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center (NCWMAC) in Franklin and Orono, Maine. The cooperative research project will initiate cooperative research projects and sustain the NCWMAC Atlantic salmon breeding program and Cobscook Bay Salmon, an aquaculture industry collaborator, acting through the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). 1b.Approach (from AD-416) This Agreement will identify the general terms that will guide ARS during the development, implementation, and technology transfer from the NCWMAC Atlantic salmon breeding program located in Orono and Franklin, ME. This approach will: (a) provide information to the ARS NCWMAC research program on problems limiting economically viable Atlantic salmon production, and (b) assist ARS in sustaining the breeding program by providing sources of germplasm and evaluating germplasm from the NCWMAC to U.S. aquaculture producers and consumers. 3.Progress Report Atlantic Salmon Genetics and Breeding Research with Cobscook Bay Salmon. The USDA, ARS National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center (NCWMAC) and Cobscook Bay Salmon (CBS) are currently engaged in research and have mutual and independent interests in marine aquaculture. The NCWMAC and CBS held a meeting to discuss yearly research objectives in salmon breeding and discuss plans for germplasm evaluations. In 2008 the NCWMAC provided CBS with salmon smolts from forty different families (sixty fish per family) from the St. John’s River stock. Smolts were health certified for specific pathogen free status following New England Salmonid Fish Health Guidelines and Canada’s Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans Fish Health Protection Regulations (FHPR). CBS planned to stock the fish into replicate culture tanks and feed one of three experimental diets formulated with plant proteins replacing fish meal. CBS was unable to allocate tank space for this project during 2008-2009, but plans to assist NCWMAC with the project in 2010. An additional group of salmon smolts will be transferred to CBS and the fish will be cultured from smolt size to 1-2 kg size. NCWMAC scientists will collect data on weight gain and feed conversion on the different diets and determine family and diet variation on growth. The data will be used to evaluate family variation for feed utilization in the NCWMAC breeding program leading to the development and release new lines of Atlantic salmon.